I’m not sure if this is going to sound strange, but I’m so accustomed to the voices of different kinds of people that my mind at this point just registers the many different accents as different voices within one accent (as in my mind doesn’t say “oh that’s another accent” anymore, it doesn’t register it) and I actually miss being able to appreciate peoples’ accents as accents, which sucks when for example you’re attracted to them.
The things that we call accents are just collections and patterns of speech variation, usually regional or class-based. Each individual has their own minor variations, depending on their speech communities and life experience. So, you’re kinda right to hear them as a bunch of individual voices.
But if you’re interested in tuning back into accents, you can start learning / spotting the features that mark the difference. Do they pronounce an ‘R’ at the end of a word? Or just use a long vowel? Would they pronounce cot and caught the same?
Once you start noticing, its less about matching an accent to a stereotype, and more about understanding all the interesting ways that speech variation occurs.
Try to imitate them. Like make that an active effort to parrot various accents whether written or spoken. Eetz fun and you’ll shtart to pick on ze details quwite clowsslee
The last sentence is just perfect
🤗
I just do this for fun.
Even study accents. Watch some YouTube vids by professional voice coaches. You’ll get to where you can pick out clues about where someone might be from based on aspects of their accent.
As someone with a slight accent: good. I want you to hear what I’m saying, not my accent.
Regardless, active listening is the way to go. Learn what to listen for and maybe try to actively place the accent once you recognize the markers.
Just please listen to the words first.
I wish… I have the opposite problem. I work with people from many different countries and my brain gets utterly scrambled by constantly switching between accents. Sometimes it gets so bad that I, an Australian, cannot understand a person from New Zealand. It all just registers as random noise. I’ve been in this job for 8 years and I really try but it doesn’t get any better and it’s quite embarrassing.
Be autistic and you probably won’t get used to accents…lol. One of my traits is the inability to form habits or “get used to” things in general.
